On My Problem With Buying Books

Hello, my name is Michelle and I am a book buying addict. Seriously, when I have the money {and sometimes even when I don’t}, I can’t seem to stop myself from buying books. Trips to the bookstore, online orders, Kindle deals and free books… any and everything to put more and more books on my shelf and inside my Kindle.

The truth of the matter is that I probably already own more unread books than I can read in this lifetime… and I’m not stopping. There are so many amazing books being written and published each month that my literal TBR bookcases will remain overflowing perpetually. But honestly I’m ok with that. I like that I’ll never really run out of things to read.

Of course this addiction to adding more and more books to my shelves does come at a very literal cost. Books, and places to house them, don’t come cheap. I try to take advantage of sales and discounts when purchasing books. And I try to get creative in using the space I have to fit as many books as possible {my books are generally double stacked on the shelves}.

I decided to share the various sources of book buying I indulge in, and how I try to keep my budget in check at each one…

Traditional Book Stores:
In my area this pretty much means Barnes & Noble. I have 3 very strong strategies for shopping at B&N. First, I pay for the annual membership because I more than earn that expense back throughout the course of the year with the discount. Second, I don’t shop the shelves… I only shop the tables where they feature sales. I especially enjoy the Buy 2 Get 1 Free table. And thirdly, I shop the Bargain area. I can usually find a lot of hard cover books here priced less than a new release paperback of the same title.

Online Stores:
I tend to shop from discounted book sellers like The Book Outlet. While some of their books have minor cover markings or stickers, all of the books I’ve received have been in great condition. The Book Depository also has lower prices and has free shipping, but since most everything ships from the UK and I live in the US, delivery time takes a while.

Amazon:
I use Amazon in a lot of different ways… I hit their sales for both Kindle and physical books on a regular basis {and have Prime so I have access to a free new release every month, as well as free shipping on most physical orders}. I hit their marketplace for hard to find, out of print books, and have been happy with the quality of books that I received through this {both new and used options are generally available}. And then there are all of the free Kindle titles that I fill up my Kindle with. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve used their Kindle Unlimited lending service as well for audio books, {a smaller selection of these books are available for free through Prime Reading- also a lending service- but the selection is not as big for the audio versions}. Plus I’m an Amazon affiliate, so every few months, if people shop off my links, I might earn enough for a $10 Amazon gift card… which goes right back for more books!

What strategies do you use to keep book buying from breaking the bank?

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3 thoughts on “On My Problem With Buying Books”

My name is Cora and I have a problem. A book buying problem.
I’m the same haha. I just can’t help myself! I find setting small goals really help, and I’m partway through a two month book-buying ban (yes, it’s as difficult as it sounds!) which is actually helping loads when it comes to impulse buys.
Cora ❤ http://www.teapartyprincess.co.uk/Cora @ Tea Party Princess recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday #103

I rarely buy books, but I’m addicted to trading. I love getting rid of a huge box of books and using the credits to get another huge box of books. I don’t usually run out of shelf space because I have more books going out than coming in.Aj @ Read All The Things! recently posted…Review: My Cousin Rachel – Daphne du Maurier